Audio connection and transmission device

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method of interfacing between a source media device and a destination media device. A wireless module passes through an audio signal from the source device to an output device, and transmits a wireless signal to a wireless device that outputs the audio signal. In this manner, the number of devices used for the connections may be reduced.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of European Application No.19176485.1 filed May 24, 2019, U.S. Provisional Application No.62/829,397 filed Apr. 4, 2019, and U.S. Provisional Application No.62/796,163 filed Jan. 24, 2019, all of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to audio processing, and in particular,to connecting audio devices.

BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in thissection are not prior art to the claims in this application and are notadmitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

A television may generally include an audio output, such as an analogoutput or an optical output, for outputting an audio signal. The audiooutput may be connected to an external audio production device, such asone or more loudspeakers (e.g., a soundbar), an audio/video receiver,etc., to output the audio signal. Alternatively, the audio output may beconnected to a wireless module (e.g., an IEEE 802.15.1 module such as aBluetooth™ module) to transmit a wireless signal containing the audiosignal to a wireless headset. Furthermore, some external audioproduction devices may include an integral wireless module, and sometelevisions may include an integral wireless module.

Providing the audio signal to a wireless headset is a growing use case,as it allows the user to experience the audio without disturbing othersnearby.

SUMMARY

One issue with many existing televisions is that the number of audiooutputs is limited. If the television has only one optical output and nointegral wireless module, and the user has both a soundbar and awireless module that each connect to the optical output, the usergenerally must unplug one device and plug in the other device. Toaddress this issue, the user may install an optical splitter, andconnect both the soundbar and the wireless module to the opticalsplitter; however, this increases the clutter of cables and devicesaround the television.

Another issue with many existing wireless modules is that they do notperform decoding of compressed audio signals (such as AC-3). When theuser's soundbar is able to perform decoding, but their wireless moduleis not, this results in additional inconvenience for the user.

Another issue with many existing wireless modules is that they have alimited number of wireless connections, such that they may not transmitto more than one wireless device simultaneously. This can make itdifficult for multiple users to watch and listen to the same device atthe same time, especially if they both wish to connect wirelessheadsets. For example, transmitting to two wireless devices would allowa husband and wife to listen to the audio while their child sleeps in anearby room.

Given the above issues, embodiments described herein are directed towardproviding a source device with the capability to generate a wirelesssignal in a way that does not preclude a single audio output from beingused to connect to other output devices (without physical disconnectionor rearrangement of the components). For example, an embodiment connectsto a television and generates a wireless signal (that is received by awireless headset to output the audio), as well as connects to asoundbar, allowing for concurrent connection of both output devices.

According to another embodiment, an apparatus interfaces between asource media device and a destination media device. The apparatusincludes an input interface, a buffer, an output interface, a processor,and a wireless transmitter. The input interface is configured to receivean input optical signal, and is configured to convert the input opticalsignal to a digital audio signal, wherein the digital audio signal is anelectrical signal. The buffer that is configured to receive the digitalaudio signal converted by the input interface, and is configured tobuffer the digital audio signal as a buffered digital audio signal. Theoutput interface that is configured to receive the buffered digitalaudio signal from the buffer, and is configured to convert the buffereddigital audio signal to an output optical signal. The processor that isconfigured to process the buffered digital audio signal from the buffer,and is configured to generate a processed digital audio signal based onthe buffered digital audio signal. The wireless transmitter that isconfigured to receive the processed digital audio signal from theprocessor, and is configured to transmit the processed digital audiosignal to at least one wireless device.

The apparatus may further include an optical receiver that includes theinput interface, and an optical transmitter that includes the outputinterface.

The processor may be configured to perform decoding on the buffereddigital audio signal in accordance with an Advanced Television SystemsCommittee (ATSC) A/52 standard.

The processor may be configured to perform decoding on the buffereddigital audio signal according to a custom downmix that retainsseparation between a left surround channel and a right surround channelwhen upmixed by a matrix decoder.

The input optical signal may pass through the input interface, thebuffer and the output interface uninterruptedly to generate the outputoptical signal.

The wireless transmitter may implement the IEEE 802.15.1 standard, andthe wireless transmitter may be configured to transmit the processeddigital audio signal simultaneously to up to two devices according tothe IEEE 802.15.1 standard.

The wireless transmitter may implement a low-latency audio codec toreduce a transmission time of the processed digital audio signal.

The destination media device may be configured to output the outputoptical signal as an audible output.

The at least one wireless device may be configured to output theprocessed digital audio signal as an audible output.

The apparatus may further include an analog input that is configured toreceive an input analog signal, and that is configured to provide theinput analog signal to the wireless transmitter.

According to an embodiment, a method interfaces between a source mediadevice and a destination media device. The method includes receiving, byan input interface, an input optical signal and converting, by the inputinterface, the input optical signal to a digital audio signal, whereinthe digital audio signal is an electrical signal. The method furtherincludes receiving, by a buffer, the digital audio signal generated bythe input interface and buffering, by the buffer, the digital audiosignal as a buffered digital audio signal. The method further includesreceiving, by an output interface, the buffered digital audio signalfrom the buffer and converting, by the output interface, the buffereddigital audio signal to an output optical signal. The method furtherincludes processing, by a processor, the buffered digital audio signalfrom the buffer and generating, by the processor, a processed digitalaudio signal based on the buffered digital audio signal. The methodfurther includes receiving, by a wireless transmitter, the processeddigital audio signal from the processor and transmitting, by thewireless transmitter, the processed digital audio signal to at least onewireless device.

The method may include further details similar to those described aboveregarding the apparatus.

According to another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readablemedium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor,controls an apparatus to execute processing including one or more of themethods discussed above.

The following detailed description and accompanying drawings provide afurther understanding of the nature and advantages of variousimplementations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an entertainment system 100.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a wireless module 200.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method 300 of interfacing between a sourcemedia device and a destination media device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a wireless module 400.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are techniques for connecting audio devices to atelevision. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous examples and specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be evident,however, to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure asdefined by the claims may include some or all of the features in theseexamples alone or in combination with other features described below,and may further include modifications and equivalents of the featuresand concepts described herein.

In the following description, various methods, processes and proceduresare detailed. Although particular steps may be described in a certainorder, such order is mainly for convenience and clarity. A particularstep may be repeated more than once, may occur before or after othersteps (even if those steps are otherwise described in another order),and may occur in parallel with other steps. A second step is required tofollow a first step only when the first step must be completed beforethe second step is begun. Such a situation will be specifically pointedout when not clear from the context.

In this document, the terms “and”, “or” and “and/or” are used. Suchterms are to be read as having an inclusive meaning. For example, “A andB” may mean at least the following: “both A and B”, “at least both A andB”. As another example, “A or B” may mean at least the following: “atleast A”, “at least B”, “both A and B”, “at least both A and B”. Asanother example, “A and/or B” may mean at least the following: “A andB”, “A or B”. When an exclusive-or is intended, such will bespecifically noted (e.g., “either A or B”, “at most one of A and B”).

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an entertainment system 100. Theentertainment system 100 may be located in a user's home, in which casethe entertainment system 100 may be referred to as a home entertainmentsystem. The entertainment system 100 includes a television 110, twocables 120 and 122, a wireless module 130, a soundbar 140, and awireless device 150. The entertainment system 100 may also include otherdevices that (for brevity) are not shown. These other devices mayinclude a source device for providing audiovisual content to thetelevision, such as an audio/video receiver, a digital video discplayer, a cable box, a streaming stick, a computer, etc.

The television 110 receives audio and video (audiovisual) informationfrom a source device (not shown) and displays the video information. Thetelevision 110 may output the audio information as an audio signal viathe cable 120 to other devices. The television 110 may also output theaudio information via integral loudspeakers. The television 110 may haveadditional functionality that (for brevity) is not further detailed.

The cable 120 connects the television 110 and the wireless module 130.The cable may be an analog cable, such as a 3.5 mm analog cable, thattransmits an analog signal containing the audio information. The cable120 may be an optical cable, e.g. an Electronic Industries Associationof Japan (EIAJ) optical cable such as a Toshiba Link (TOSLINK) opticalcable, that transmits an optical signal containing the audioinformation. The cable 120 may implement the InternationalElectrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60958 type III interconnect standard(also referred to as the Audio Engineering Society (AES) AES3interconnect standard), e.g. the Sony/Philips Digital InterconnectFormat (S/PDIF). The cable 120 may be one of multiple cables connectedto the television 110, such as both an analog cable and an opticalcable, that connect the television 110 to the wireless module 130 or toother devices.

The wireless module 130 generally passes through the audio signal fromthe television 110 to the soundbar 140 via the cables 120 and 122, andtransmits a wireless signal to the wireless device 150 corresponding tothe audio signal from the television 110. The cable 122 between thewireless module 130 and the soundbar 140 may be an optical cable, or atype of cable similar to the cable 120 between the television 110 andthe wireless module 130. The wireless module 130 may implement the IEEE802.15.1 standard (e.g., the wireless signal may be a Bluetooth™ signal)for transmitting the wireless signal. Alternatively, the wireless module130 need not pass through the audio signal from the television 110 tothe soundbar 140. Further details of the wireless module 130 areprovided below.

The soundbar 140 generates an audio output corresponding to the audioinformation from the television 110, as provided by the wireless module130 via the cable 122. Alternatively, the soundbar 140 may be omitted(e.g., the television 110 may include integral loudspeakers).

The wireless device 150 generates an audio output corresponding to theaudio information from the television 110, according to the wirelesssignal provided by the wireless module 130. The wireless device 150 mayimplement the IEEE 802.15.1 standard (e.g., the wireless device 150 maybe a Bluetooth™ device). The wireless device 150 may have the formfactor of a headset that includes a left loudspeaker and a rightloudspeaker for outputting left audio and right audio, such as stereo orbinaural audio, to the ears of the user. The wireless device 150 mayhave the form factor of a single device that includes left and rightearcups, of separate devices such as left and right wireless earbuds,etc. The wireless device 150 may also be another type of wireless devicesuch as a mobile telephone (e.g., that has paired to the wireless moduleusing Bluetooth™ technology), a wireless loudspeaker (e.g., a Bluetooth™speaker), etc. The wireless device 150 may be one of multiple wirelessdevices that may be paired with the wireless module 130. For example,the wireless module 130 may be paired with two wireless headsets thateach receive a wireless signal corresponding to the audio signal fromthe television 110. The wireless device 150 may connect to the wirelessmodule 130 and to other wireless devices. For example, the wirelessdevice 150 may include a mobile telephone (that connects to the wirelessmodule 130) and left and right wireless earbuds (that connect to themobile telephone).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a wireless module 200. The wireless module200 may be used as the wireless module 130 in the entertainment system100 (see FIG. 1 ). The wireless module 200 includes an input interface210, a buffer 220, an output interface 230, a processor 240, and awireless transmitter 250, enclosed within a housing 252. The wirelessmodule 200 may include other components that (for brevity) are notshown.

The input interface 210 receives an input signal 260 and converts theinput signal 260 into a digital audio signal 262. The input signal 260may be provided by the cable 120 from the television 110 (see FIG. 1 ).The input signal 260 may be an uncompressed signal such as a stereolinear pulse code modulation (L-PCM) signal according to the IEC 60958standard. The input signal 260 may be a compressed signal according tothe Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) A/52 standard such as aDolby® Digital signal (also referred to as an AC-3 signal), which may beencapsulated according to the IEC 61937 standard (specifically, IEC61937 sub-type 3).

The input interface 210 may be an analog input interface (e.g., a 3.5 mmanalog interface), and the input signal 260 may be an analog signal. Theinput interface 210 may be an optical input interface (e.g., a F05female interface for an Electronic Industries Association of Japan(EIAJ) optical cable such as a Toshiba Link (TOSLINK) optical cable),and the input signal 260 may be an input optical signal (e.g., accordingto the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60958 type IIIinterconnect standard such as the Sony/Philips Digital InterconnectFormat (S/PDIF)), in which case the input interface 210 converts theinput signal 260 from an optical signal into the digital audio signal262 as an electrical signal.

The input interface 210 may be a component of an input receiver, such asan optical receiver, that includes connection components (e.g., thephysical interfaces), functional components (e.g., the input interface210), etc.

The buffer 220 receives the digital audio signal 262 from the inputinterface 210 and performs buffering of the digital audio signal 262 toresult in a buffered digital audio signal 263. For example, the digitalaudio signal 262 may be arranged as frames, where each frame correspondsto an audio sample in the digital audio signal 262; the buffer 220 thenperforms buffering of each frame. For example, when the digital audiosignal 262 corresponds to an IEC 60958/61937 standard signal, the buffer220 performs buffering of each frame (e.g., a single sample) of the IEC60958/61937 standard signal.

The output interface 230 receives the buffered digital audio signal 263from the buffer 220, and converts the buffered digital audio signal 263to an output signal 264. For example, when the input signal 260 is anoptical signal corresponding to an IEC 60958/61937 standard signal, theoutput signal 264 is an optical signal corresponding to an IEC60958/61937 standard signal. The output signal 264 may be provided bythe cable 122 to an output device such as the soundbar 140 (see FIG. 1).

The output interface 230 may be a component of an output transmitter,such as an optical transmitter, that includes connection components(e.g., the physical interfaces), functional components (e.g., the outputinterface 230), etc.

When the buffer 220 buffers a single frame, this allows the wirelessmodule 200 to provide the output signal 264 to the output device (e.g.,the soundbar 140 of FIG. 1 ) with minimal delay, enabling the wirelessmodule 200 to operate as a pass-through for the input signal 260 (e.g.,the audio signal from the television 110).

The processor 240 processes the buffered digital audio signal 263 fromthe buffer 220 and generates a processed digital audio signal 266 basedon the buffered digital audio signal 263.

The nature of the processing performed by the processor 240 depends uponthe format of the buffered digital audio signal 263. When the buffereddigital audio signal 263 is uncompressed, the processing performed bythe processor 240 corresponds to identifying that the frame in thebuffer 220 is uncompressed, and providing that frame to the wirelesstransmitter 250 as the processed digital audio signal 266. When thebuffered digital audio signal 263 is compressed, the processingperformed by the processor 240 includes identifying that the frame inthe buffer 220 is compressed, decoding the frame in the buffer 220, andproviding the decoded frame to the wireless transmitter 250 as theprocessed digital audio signal 266. For example, when the buffereddigital audio signal 263 is compressed according to the ATSC A/52standard (e.g., a Dolby® Digital signal), the processor 240 performsdecoding of the buffered digital audio signal 263 as part of generatingthe processed digital audio signal 266.

When decoding Dolby Digital signals, the processor 240 may employ customdownmixes to stereo which when upmixed by a downstream upmixer (orrenderer or matrix decoder) may retain separation between the LeftSurround and Right Surround channels of a 5.1 input signal according tothe following downmix equations:Lt=L+(C×−3 dB)−(Ls×−1.2 dB)−(Rs×<6.2 dB)Rt=R+(C×−3 dB)+(Ls×−6.2 dB)+(Rs×−1.2 dB)Or when written in scalar form:Lt=L+(C×0.707)−(Ls×0.871)−(Rs×0.490)Rt=R+(C×0.707)+(Ls×0.490)+(Rs×0.871)

When upmixed on a device capable of upmixing and rendering, such as whenthe wireless device 150 has virtualization capabilities (e.g., thewireless device 150 is a Dolby Dimension™ headset), improved listeningmay be experienced by the wearer.

(The buffer 220 and the processor 240 are shown as separate componentsfor illustrative purposes. In practice, the buffer 220 and the processor240 may be components of a digital audio decoder implemented as a systemon a chip (SoC), which may also include other of the components of thewireless module 200.)

The wireless transmitter 250 receives the processed digital audio signal266 from the processor 240 and transmits the processed digital audiosignal 266 (shown as the transmitted signal 268) to at least onewireless device (e.g., the wireless device 150 of FIG. 1 ). For example,when the processed digital audio signal 266 corresponds to frames of theinput signal 260, the wireless transmitter 250 transmits these frames.

The wireless transmitter 250 may implement the IEEE 802.15.1 standard(e.g., the wireless transmitter 250 may be a Bluetooth™ transmitter).For example, the wireless transmitter 250 may implement the aptX™ codecfrom Qualcomm. The wireless transmitter 250 may implement sub-bandcoding as part of transmitting the processed digital audio signal 266.The wireless transmitter 250 may implement a low-latency audio codec aspart of transmitting the processed digital audio signal 266. In general,a low-latency audio codec increases the bandwidth of the transmissionchannel to enable reductions in latency. For example, the wirelesstransmitter 250 may implement the aptX™ Low Latency codec from Qualcomm.

The wireless transmitter 250 may pair with two wireless devices (e.g.,the wireless device 150 of FIG. 1 corresponds to two wireless headsets),generating the transmitted signal 268 as a dual monocast of theprocessed digital audio signal 266. For example, the wirelesstransmitter 250 may include indicators (e.g., one or more light-emittingdiodes) that show when zero, one or two connections are active, and abutton that may be pressed to change the connections. When oneconnection is active, the user may press and hold (to pair) or press (toreconnect) a second device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method 300 of interfacing between a sourcemedia device and a destination media device. One or more steps of themethod 300 may be performed by a device such as the wireless module 200(see FIG. 2 ), for example as controlled by one or more computerprograms executed by the processor 240, to interface between thetelevision 110 and the wireless device 150 (see FIG. 1 ).

At 302, an input signal is converted to a digital audio signal. Theinput signal may be an input optical signal, and the digital audiosignal may be an electrical signal. For example, the input interface 210(see FIG. 2 ) may receive the input signal 260 via the cable 120 (seeFIG. 1 ) and may convert the input signal 260 into the digital audiosignal 262.

At 304, the digital audio signal (converted at 302) is buffered. Forexample, the buffer 220 (see FIG. 2 ) may receive the digital audiosignal 262 from the input interface 210 and may perform buffering of thedigital audio signal 262 to result in the buffered digital audio signal263.

At 306, the digital audio signal (buffered at 304) is converted to anoutput signal. The output signal may be an output optical signal, andthe conversion may be from an electrical signal (the digital audiosignal) to an optical signal (the output optical signal). For example,the output interface 230 (see FIG. 2 ) may receive the buffered digitalaudio signal 263 from the buffer 220 and may convert the buffereddigital audio signal 263 to the output signal 264; the output signal 264may be provided to the soundbar 140 (see FIG. 1 ) via the cable 122.

At 308, the digital audio signal (buffered at 304) is processed togenerate a processed digital audio signal. When the digital audio signalis uncompressed, the processing may correspond to identifying that aframe of the buffered digital audio signal is uncompressed, andproviding that frame as the processed digital audio signal. When thedigital audio signal is compressed, the processing may includeidentifying that a frame of the buffered digital audio signal iscompressed, decoding that frame, and providing the decoded frame as theprocessed digital audio signal. For example, the processor 240 (see FIG.2 ) may process the buffered digital audio signal 263 from the buffer220 to generate the processed digital audio signal 266.

At 310, the processed digital audio signal (see 308) is transmitted toat least one wireless device. For example, the wireless transmitter 250(see FIG. 2 ) may receive the processed digital audio signal 266 fromthe processor 240 and may transmit the processed digital audio signal266, as the transmitted signal 268, to the wireless device 150 (see FIG.1 ).

At 312, an audible output is output by at least one of the destinationmedia device and the wireless device. The audible output corresponds tothe output signal provided to the destination media device (see 306), tothe processed digital audio signal provided to the wireless device (see310), etc. The audible output corresponds to the input signal (see 302),since the input signal corresponds to the output signal (see 306) and tothe processed digital audio signal (see 308). For example, the soundbar140 (see FIG. 1 ) may output an audible output corresponding to theoutput signal 264 (see FIG. 2 ) received via the cable 122. As anotherexample, the wireless device 150 (see FIG. 1 ) may output an audibleoutput corresponding to the processed digital audio signal 266 (see FIG.2 ), which corresponds to the transmitted signal 268 transmitted by thewireless transmitter 250. (The user may turn off one of the outputdevices as desired. For example, if the user wants to use the wirelessheadphones, the soundbar may be turned off, and if the user wants to usethe soundbar, the wireless headphones may be turned off.)

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a wireless module 400. The wireless module400 generally corresponds to the wireless module 200 (see FIG. 2 ), withadditional details. The wireless module 400 may perform one or moresteps similar to those of the method 300 (see FIG. 3 ). The wirelessmodule 400 includes a power interface 402, an analog input 404, anoptical input 406, a buffer 408, an optical output 410, a decoder 412,and a wireless transmitter 414, enclosed within a housing 416. Thewireless module 400 may include other components that (for brevity) arenot shown.

The power interface 402 receives an input power 430 and provides power432 to the other components of the wireless module 400. The powerinterface 402 may be a universal serial bus (USB) interface, such as amicro USB interface. The power interface 402 may receive the input power430 via a USB cable connected to a USB port of the television 110 (seeFIG. 1 ). The input power 430 may have a voltage of 5 V and a ratedcurrent of 500 mA (or 1000 mA), as needed to power the wireless module400.

The analog input 404 receives an input analog signal 434 and providesthe input analog signal 434 to the transmitter 414. The input analogsignal 434 may be provided by the television 110 (see FIG. 1 ) or byanother source device. The input analog signal 434 may be a stereosignal. The analog input 404 may be a 3.5 mm analog input rated tooperate at 2.2 V peak to peak.

The optical input 406 receives an input optical signal 436 and convertsthe input optical signal 436 into a digital audio signal 438 (e.g.,converting an optical signal into an electrical signal). The digitalaudio signal 438 may conform to the AES3 interconnect standard (e.g.,using the S/PDIF interface). The optical input 406 may include a TOSLINKconnector. Further details of the optical input 406 may be similar tothose of the input interface 210 (see FIG. 2 ).

The buffer 408 receives the digital audio signal 438 from the opticalinput 406 and performs buffering of the digital audio signal 438 toresult in a buffered digital audio signal 440. The buffered digitalaudio signal 440 may conform to the AES3 interconnect standard (e.g.,using the S/PDIF interface). Further details of the buffer 408 may besimilar to those of the buffer 220 (see FIG. 2 ).

The optical output 410 receives the buffered digital audio signal 440from the buffer 408, and converts the buffered digital audio signal 440to an output optical signal 442 (e.g., converting an electrical signalinto an optical signal). The optical output 410 may include a TOSLINKconnector. Further details of the optical output 410 may be similar tothose of the output interface 230 (see FIG. 2 ).

The decoder 412 performs decoding, as needed, on the buffered digitalaudio signal 440 from the buffer 408 and generates a processed digitalaudio signal 444 based on the buffered digital audio signal 440. Thefunctionality of the decoder 412 may be implemented by a processor as itexecutes one or more computer programs. Further details of the decoder412 may be similar to those of the processor 240 (see FIG. 2 ). Thedecoder 412 may connect to the wireless transmitter 414 via an inter-ICsound (I²S) bus.

(The buffer 408 and the decoder 412 are shown as separate components forillustrative purposes. In practice, the buffer 408 and the decoder 412may be components of a digital audio decoder implemented as a SoC, whichmay also include other of the components of the wireless module 400.)

The wireless transmitter 414 receives the processed digital audio signal444 from the decoder 412, receives the input analog signal 434 from theanalog input 404, and transmits one of the processed digital audiosignal 444 and the input analog signal 434 (shown as the transmittedsignal 446) to at least one wireless device (e.g., the wireless device150 of FIG. 1 ). In an embodiment, a valid input from the optical input406 takes priority over an input from the analog input 404. Furtherdetails of the wireless transmitter 414 may be similar to those of thewireless transmitter 250 (see FIG. 2 ).

The housing 416 includes access ports for the power interface 402, theanalog input 404, the optical input 406, and the optical output 410. Thehousing 416 may be generally cylindrical or puck-shaped, with a diameterof 5 cm and a height of 3.5 cm. This sizing enables the wireless module400 to be placed unobtrusively near the television (e.g., behind thetelevision).

Noteworthy Features

The devices discussed herein (e.g., the wireless module 200 of FIG. 2 )may have one or more noteworthy features as compared to many existingsystems. First, the wireless module includes within a single device boththe function of signal pass-through (to the soundbar) and the functionof signal transmission (to the wireless device). This reduces theclutter around the television, as compared to using two devices for thetwo functions. Second, the wireless module has the capability to decodecompressed audio signals commonly available in modern digitaltelevisions. This provides functionality beyond devices that do notperform decoding. Third, the wireless module has the capability toconnect to multiple wireless devices. This provides functionality beyonddevices that are limited to connecting to a single wireless device.Fourth, the wireless module has the capability to perform low-latencyencoding to help ensure proper audio/video synchronization.

Implementation Details

An embodiment may be implemented in hardware, executable modules storedon a computer readable medium, or a combination of both (e.g.,programmable logic arrays). Unless otherwise specified, the stepsexecuted by embodiments need not inherently be related to any particularcomputer or other apparatus, although they may be in certainembodiments. In particular, various general-purpose machines may be usedwith programs written in accordance with the teachings herein, or it maybe more convenient to construct more specialized apparatus (e.g.,integrated circuits) to perform the required method steps. Thus,embodiments may be implemented in one or more computer programsexecuting on one or more programmable computer systems each comprisingat least one processor, at least one data storage system (includingvolatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least oneinput device or port, and at least one output device or port. Programcode is applied to input data to perform the functions described hereinand generate output information. The output information is applied toone or more output devices, in known fashion.

Each such computer program is preferably stored on or downloaded to astorage media or device (e.g., solid state memory or media, or magneticor optical media) readable by a general or special purpose programmablecomputer, for configuring and operating the computer when the storagemedia or device is read by the computer system to perform the proceduresdescribed herein. The inventive system may also be considered to beimplemented as a computer-readable storage medium, configured with acomputer program, where the storage medium so configured causes acomputer system to operate in a specific and predefined manner toperform the functions described herein. (Software per se and intangibleor transitory signals are excluded to the extent that they areunpatentable subject matter.)

The above description illustrates various embodiments of the presentdisclosure along with examples of how aspects of the present disclosuremay be implemented. The above examples and embodiments should not bedeemed to be the only embodiments, and are presented to illustrate theflexibility and advantages of the present disclosure as defined by thefollowing claims. Based on the above disclosure and the followingclaims, other arrangements, embodiments, implementations and equivalentswill be evident to those skilled in the art and may be employed withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by theclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for interfacing between a sourcemedia device and a destination media device, the apparatus comprising:an input interface that is configured to receive an input opticalsignal, and is configured to convert the input optical signal to adigital audio signal, wherein the digital audio signal is an electricalsignal; a buffer that is configured to receive the digital audio signalconverted by the input interface, and is configured to buffer thedigital audio signal as a buffered digital audio signal; an outputinterface that is configured to receive the buffered digital audiosignal from the buffer, and is configured to convert the buffereddigital audio signal to an output optical signal; a processor that isconfigured to process the buffered digital audio signal from the buffer,and is configured to generate a processed digital audio signal based onthe buffered digital audio signal; and a wireless transmitter that isconfigured to receive the processed digital audio signal from theprocessor, and is configured to transmit the processed digital audiosignal to at least one wireless device, wherein the buffer is configuredto buffer the digital audio signal such that the buffered digital audiosignal corresponds to a single frame of the digital audio signal,wherein the processor is configured to perform decoding on the buffereddigital audio signal according to a custom downmix that retainsseparation between a left surround channel and a right surround channelwhen upmixed by a matrix decoder, wherein the input optical signalpasses through the input interface, the buffer and the output interfaceuninterruptedly to generate the output optical signal, wherein theoutput interface is configured to convert the buffered digital audiosignal to a single frame of the output optical signal, wherein theprocessor is configured to process the buffered digital audio signal toa single frame of the processed digital audio signal, and wherein thewireless transmitter is configured to transmit the single frame of theprocessed digital audio signal.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising: an optical receiver that includes the input interface; andan optical transmitter that includes the output interface.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to performdecoding on the buffered digital audio signal in accordance with anAdvanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) A/52:2018 standard.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter implements anIEEE 802.15.1 standard, and wherein the wireless transmitter isconfigured to transmit the processed digital audio signal simultaneouslyto up to two devices according to the IEEE 802.15.1 standard.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter implements alow-latency audio codec to reduce a transmission time of the processeddigital audio signal.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thedestination media device is configured to output the output opticalsignal as an audible output.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the atleast one wireless device is configured to output the processed digitalaudio signal as an audible output.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising: an analog input that is configured to receive an inputanalog signal, and that is configured to provide the input analog signalto the wireless transmitter.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theprocessor is configured to determine whether the buffered digital audiosignal is one of uncompressed and compressed, wherein when the buffereddigital audio signal is compressed, the processor is configured todecode the buffered digital audio signal, and wherein the buffereddigital audio signal is uncompressed, the processor is configured togenerate the processed digital audio signal without performing decoding.10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured toperform decoding on the buffered digital audio signal to generate aprocessed left signal and a processed right signal, wherein theprocessed left signal is a combination of a left channel signal, acenter channel signal multiplied by a first factor, a left surroundchannel multiplied by a second factor, and a right surround channelmultiplied by a third factor, and wherein the processed right signal isa combination of a right channel signal, the center channel signalmultiplied by the first factor, the left surround channel multiplied bythe third factor, and the right surround channel multiplied by thesecond factor.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second factoris greater than the first factor, and wherein the first factor isgreater than the third factor.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, whereinthe first factor is 0.707, the second factor is 0.871, and the thirdfactor is 0.490.
 13. A method of interfacing between a source mediadevice and a destination media device, the method comprising: receiving,by an input interface, an input optical signal and converting, by theinput interface, the input optical signal to a digital audio signal,wherein the digital audio signal is an electrical signal; receiving, bya buffer, the digital audio signal generated by the input interface andbuffering, by the buffer, the digital audio signal as a buffered digitalaudio signal; receiving, by an output interface, the buffered digitalaudio signal from the buffer and converting, by the output interface,the buffered digital audio signal to an output optical signal;processing, by a processor, the buffered digital audio signal from thebuffer and generating, by the processor, a processed digital audiosignal based on the buffered digital audio signal; and receiving, by awireless transmitter, the processed digital audio signal from theprocessor and transmitting, by the wireless transmitter, the processeddigital audio signal to at least one wireless device, wherein the bufferis configured to buffer the digital audio signal such that the buffereddigital audio signal corresponds to a single frame of the digital audiosignal, wherein generating the processed digital audio signal includesperforming decoding on the buffered digital audio signal according to acustom downmix that retains separation between a left surround channeland a right surround channel when upmixed by a matrix decoder, whereinthe input optical signal passes through the input interface, the bufferand the output interface uninterruptedly to generate the output opticalsignal, wherein the output interface is configured to convert thebuffered digital audio signal to a single frame of the output opticalsignal, wherein the processor is configured to process the buffereddigital audio signal to a single frame of the processed digital audiosignal, and wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to transmitthe single frame of the processed digital audio signal.
 14. The methodof claim 13, wherein generating the processed digital audio signalincludes performing decoding on the buffered digital audio signal inaccordance with an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)A/52:2018 standard.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the wirelesstransmitter implements an IEEE 802.15.1 standard, and wherein thewireless transmitter is configured to transmit the processed digitalaudio signal simultaneously to up to two devices according to the IEEE802.15.1 standard.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the wirelesstransmitter implements a low-latency audio codec to reduce atransmission time of the processed digital audio signal.
 17. The methodof claim 13, further comprising: receiving, by an analog input, an inputanalog signal; and providing, by the analog input, the input analogsignal to the wireless transmitter.
 18. A non-transitory computerreadable medium storing a computer program that, when executed by aprocessor, controls an apparatus to execute processing including themethod of claim
 11. 19. The method of claim 13, wherein the processor isconfigured to perform decoding on the buffered digital audio signal togenerate a processed left signal and a processed right signal, whereinthe processed left signal is a combination of a left channel signal, acenter channel signal multiplied by a first factor, a left surroundchannel multiplied by a second factor, and a right surround channelmultiplied by a third factor, and wherein the processed right signal isa combination of a right channel signal, the center channel signalmultiplied by the first factor, the left surround channel multiplied bythe third factor, and the right surround channel multiplied by thesecond factor.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second factor isgreater than the first factor, and wherein the first factor is greaterthan the third factor.